Disclaimer: we are not nutritionists

Yesterday we received this comment on one of our earlier posts from Anonymous: "Shouldn't you be designated nutritionists if you are giving health/nutrition advice??? Just a thought and a concern for balanced, well educated, informed and research based information ...anybody it seems can create a blog but is it legit? Very concerned that you are giving advice based on pop culture reading rather than intensive study in the area of sound nutrition." 

Leanne and I chatted about it and could understand the concern, but felt that we have been pretty upfront about the reason for this blog: to chronicle our journeys, including the challenges and rewards; to support each other; to share what we are learning. The nickname "Nutritionista" was given to me by Leanne one day at the office, because I tend to go on and on if asked about food. I genuinely love food and read everything I can get my hands on about it. Of course, that in no way makes my knowledge on par with those who have completed studies, nor have I ever claimed to be an expert. However, it is important to note that the program we are following, and the more general Paleo and Primal frameworks, are based on scientific evidence. 

I can appreciate that it could be interpreted as pop culture, given the popularity of Wheat Belly as a water cooler topic at the moment. And honestly, this was one of the first books I read on the subject a year ago. I learned a lot of startling things about the impact of wheat on us, but continued to dig deeper because although I respect Dr. William Davis' knowledge as a cardiologist, I wanted to learn more. Also, his book ends up recommending the use of artificial sweeteners like erythritol or Truvia, and is not reflective of my own desire to stick with whole, natural foods. 

Soon after I read Robb Wolf's The Paleo Solution and much of what he wrote - plus the science behind it - made sense to me. Wolf was a research biochemist, thus the science plays a central role in his framework. Then I found the Whole9 and Mark Sisson, more recently I have discovered Diane Sanfillipo and have adopted a, in my opinion, healthier way of eating. Certainly my own personal experience in eating this way has made me healthier: arthritis pain has been alleviated, sinus issues have disappeared, sleep is better, energy levels higher, appetite is completely under control, weight has been lost... 

I share this not to try and convince others to do the same (unless, of course, they want to), or to put myself forward as an expert. However, I do really encourage people to read more than the health claims on the boxes at the grocery store, dig deeper than the headlines that scream from newspapers and magazines. Consider the source, consider the science, then decide what's right for you.

Prior to deciding this is a trend, consider the general dietary guidelines as outlined by Chris Kresser:

• Don’t eat toxins: avoid industrial seed oils, improperly prepared cereal grains and legumes and excess sugar (especially fructose)
• Nourish your body: emphasize saturated and monounsaturated fat while reducing intake of polyunsaturated fat, favor glucose/starch over fructose, and favor ruminant animal protein and seafood over poultry
• Eat real food: eat grass-fed, organic meat and wild fish, and local, organic produce when possible. Avoid processed, refined and packaged food

Below is my response to "Anonymous," but please let us know what you think about their concerns by leaving a comment.

"You are absolutely right, anonymous. We aren't designated nutritionists, however we are following the nutrition framework established by nutritionists and scientists. Please see Robb Wolf's The Paleo Solution, the Whole9 website and book, It Starts with Food, and Diane Sanfillipo's book Practical Paleo for examples of the science rich material we are drawing from. This site, as stated above, is a tool for us to share what we are learning and to support each other in a world that doesn't make whole food eating easy all the time. If you are interested in learning about how accepting marketing claims for health benefits of foods has had a detrimental effect on our society's health, please check out award winning science journalist Gary Taubes' books, Good Calories, Bad calories and Why We Get Fat. Grant it, Taubes is also not a nutritionist, but I trust his research. Of course, deciding who and what you should trust is your choice. Thanks for the question."

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